Dead fish litter the shoreline in Seaside, and explanations abound as to how they come to be there. The average size of the fish is 8 to 10 inches long. It was hard for me to identify what kind of fish they were.
Some say they are the overflow from sardine fishing boats who were off the coast on Sunday. They speculate that when the nets come in the smallest fish get crushed and mangled by the larger ones and fall through the bottom. Someone else said there was a sudden algae bloom in the river, and the fish suffocated for lack of oxygen.
The seagulls and other birds were leaving them alone. Possibly they had already eaten their fill.
Whatever caused it, I was not prepared for the carnage that stretched out before me as I took my dogs for their evening stroll. Luckily they knew enough to let the dead fish alone.
I think I'll pass on the beach walks for a couple of days. By today they will really begin to smell bad.
I have some additional close up photos, but can't seem to get them to load.
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